Virgin of the Rocks
The
Virgin of the Rocks and
Madonna of the Rocks are terms used to describe three different paintings with almost identical compositions. There are separate accounts over which of the paintings are verifiably
Leonardo da Vinci's.
In the National Gallery, London
This is a painting generally accredited to Leonardo da Vinci, between 1495 and 1508. It was stolen from
Florence during the
Napoleonic wars and recovered in a small town in
Austria some 50 years afterwards. Since then, it was bought by a French merchant before being sold to the
National Gallery in
London in the 19th century.
In June
2005,
infra-red imaging seemingly revealed a previous painting beneath the visible one. This is believed to portray a woman kneeling possibly holding a child with one hand with the other hand outstretched. Some researchers believe that the artist's original intention was to paint an adoration of baby Jesus.
In the Louvre
An almost identical painting is to be found in the
Louvre, painted around 1483-1486. French authorities claim predominantly that the work is authentic, due to the fine brush work and use of
chiaroscuro, or contrast between light and dark, characteristic of many of Leonardo's works. Most art historians take the view that the Louvre version is indeed largely by Leonardo, and is the earlier of the two works.
In the Chéramy Collection in Switzerland
This version, insured for $50 million, and which was displayed at the Royal Palace in Milan from October 4th, 2000 to February 25th, 2001 as part of the exhibit "Il 500 lombardo - da Leonardo a Caravaggio", could well, at first glance, pass as identical to the Louvre painting, were it not for the fact that the composition of the Parisian arched panel has been fitted into an almost square one, corresponding to the dimensions of the former without the part of the lunette.
In 1480 Leonardo was commissioned by the Milanese Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception to paint a work celebrating the
Immaculate conception. In 1483 the contract was extended to include collaboration with the brothers
Ambrogio and
Evangelista de Predis, who would produce side-panels depicting angels, so that the painting became a
triptych. The completed work was finally installed in 1508. It seems as though the original work was sold to a private client after a lengthy financial dispute with the confraternity. A second version was eventually produced by Leonardo and his assistants, which was installed with the de Predises's side-panels.
The paintings seem to draw on a legend of the meeting between the baby
Jesus and
John the Baptist on the
flight into Egypt. According to the standard interpretation of the paintings, they depict the Madonna in the centre ushering John towards Jesus, who is seated with the angel
Uriel. Jesus is blessing John, who holds out his hands in a gesture of prayer. In the Louvre version, Uriel points towards John while looking out at the viewer. This gesture is missing in the London version. The London version also contains
attributes missing from the Louvre version, notably haloes and John's traditional cruciform stick. These clarify the identification of the babies Jesus and John, and were added by another artist, probably after Leonardo's death.
It is generally believed that the Louvre version is the earlier work, because it is stylistically close to Leonardo's other work of the 1480s. The London painting suggests Leonardo's maturer style, but it is thought likely to have been painted with the assistance of other artists, perhaps the de Predises.
Both versions were
painted on wood. The Louvre version was transferred to canvas from the original wooden panel but the London painting is still on panel.
The authenticity of the London painting has been called in question by geologist
Ann C. Pizzorusso, who argues its geological inaccuracies, unlike the Louvre version, mean it is unlikely to have come from Leonardo's own hand.
In the popular novel
The Da Vinci Code, written by the American novelist
Dan Brown, it is claimed that the earlier Louvre version contained hidden symbolism which contradicted orthodox Christian belief, notably the fact that Jesus is shown praying to John rather than the other way round (the novel implies that the baby at the left must be Jesus rather than John, because he is with the Madonna). It is also claimed that the Virgin appears to be holding an invisible head and that Uriel appears to be "slicing the neck" with his finger. For this reason the painting was rejected by the Church, and a second, more orthodox, version was painted.
There is no historical evidence to support any of these contentions. The only significant compositional difference between the two versions (excluding the later addition of attributes) is the fact that Uriel no longer points. However this difference may well be explained by the possibility that the distinction between Jesus and John was thought to be insufficiently clear in the earlier picture because John is with the Madonna, and that the pointing gesture directed too much attention to John.
As for the painting being "too scandalous" to show in a church, Leonardo and de Predises actually wanted
more money from the church than had been originally agreed. The church agreed to pay a substantial bonus but not as much as Leonardo and de Predises wanted. So Leonardo and de Predises sold it to a private collector and then made a second copy. So popular (not scandalous) did these paintings prove that it is believed that they painted a third version, namely, the one kept today in the Chéramy Collection in Switzerland.
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Official page from the National Gallery*
Official page from the Louvre*
Illustrations of the Paris and London versions*
Comments on the differences between two versions of the painting*
Comments on the differences between the three versions of the painting
